Phoebe Waller-Bridge And Tomb Raider Writers Are Debating Lara Croft's Body For The Right Reasons
When Lara Croft was unleashed upon the world in the first "Tomb Raider" video game in 1996, she was a dichotomous revolution. The action-adventure gaming franchise has consistently evolved alongside gaming graphics, and the introduction of the Lara Croft character was a monumental achievement in the quest for gender equality in gaming. But at the same time, Lara Croft's character design has been hotly debated, with many viewing her as nothing more than easily objectified eye candy for men. And the arguments aren't without merit. Players were obsessed with sexualizing Lara Croft in whatever way they could, with one fan even developing a software patch known as "Nude Raider" which allowed players to see the character in the nude.
Since her arrival nearly 30 years ago, Lara Croft has evolved in countless ways, but few changes have been debated quite like her body. Let's not kid ourselves, the reason she was introduced with gigantic breasts was that the original publishers were trying to target the straight male audience, confirmed by the 1997 ad campaign, "Where the Boys Are." Over time, Lara Croft's image has changed to far less cartoonish proportions, but the general public's association with Lara Croft seems to be forever trapped in the 1990s (not unlike the people who respond, "Oh, like Stone Cold?" whenever someone mentions being a fan of professional wrestling).
"Fleabag," and "Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny" star Phoebe Waller-Bridge is now set to helm a new "Tomb Raider" series for Amazon, and based on a recent profile with Vanity Fair, she is also well versed in the legacy of not just Lara Croft, but of her culturally impactful bust-line. "The boob conversation, we're in it! We're having it," she announced in the middle of her interview.
So, let's have the boob conversation.
Canonical representation vs. practical representation
According to the Vanity Fair profile, Phoebe Waller-Bridge said that the size of Lara Croft's breasts became a "heated topic" in the writers room for the new series. Canonically speaking, Lara Croft is one of the most recognizable busty figures in pop culture, but from a practical sense ... having a large chest would make tomb raiding pretty difficult. "She's a tomb raider, so she's incredibly fit," Waller-Bridge said. "She has to squeeze through tiny rock crevices all the time. It is a different experience squeezing through a small rock crevice when you have larger boobs than if you have smaller boobs." Waller-Bridge's honesty about the debate is refreshing because it's clear she's approaching the issue from a pragmatic place, rather than some anti-feminine demonization of the existence of a larger chest.
Admittedly, my bust is built in a way that would have probably allowed me a successful career as a sideshow attraction in the 19th century, which makes me uniquely qualified to enter the great breast debate. Waller-Bridge's approach is welcomed because it's based in reality, rather than the faux-feminist justification parroted around the release of "Space Jam: A New Legacy" where it was implied that Lola Bunny's bust was shrunk down because they wanted her to be "strong" and not "sexualized," which just perpetuates the gross stigma that having large breasts means you can't be strong or that your only worth is as a sexual object.
Vanity Fair asked Waller-Bridge about the continuing attacks on bodily autonomy and whether or not she feels the need to incorporate the current cultural landscape into her work, to which she replied, "There's nothing worse than feeling like you're being lectured when you were promised a party." This might sound dismissive, but Waller-Bridge is right on the money.
Women can be fun action heroes too
I think about a film franchise like "Fast & Furious" that, while obviously boasting some pretty awesome female characters like Letty Ortiz, Mia Toretto, and the villainous Cipher, is still very much a vehicle for Vin Diesel to do silly fun action nonsense. No one is showing up for a "Fast" movie hoping to learn more about the culture wars and it's unfair that people seem to demand that of the "Tomb Raider" franchise, solely because the lead is a woman. Yes, the existence of women will always be political as long as we live in a white patriarchal society, but it's not the job of a "Tomb Raider" TV show to double as a morality lesson on bodily autonomy.
Phoebe Waller-Bridge is also a longtime fan of the games, which means she's acutely aware of the character's legacy. "She had an attitude. She was very deliberate in what she wanted to do," she said. "That all changed when they realized that they could market her to be a sex symbol." And she's right. After the release of "Tomb Raider," there were offers from Playboy for the character to appear in the magazine. Hell, there's even a scene in the video game stoner comedy "Grandma's Boy" when a pent-up Allen Covert strokes one out to a Lara Croft action figure. It's a shame because while scenes like that aren't inaccurate to how some boys viewed the character, it has culturally overridden the impact the character had on gamer girls.
When Waller-Bridge was asked about the series, she said, "God, it literally felt like that teenager in me saying: Do right by her, do right by Lara!"
'I feel like I've been building up to this.'
Phoebe Waller-Bridge has already amassed quite an impressive action resume, writing on "Killing Eve," and "No Time to Die," as well as acting in "Solo: A Star Wars Story" and "Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny." For her, Lara Croft is the natural next step. "The opportunity to have, as we were talking earlier, a female action character. [...] Having worked on Bond and having worked as an actor on Indy, I feel like I've been building up to this," she told Vanity Fair. "What if I could take the reins on an action franchise, with everything I've learned, with a character I adore, and also just bring back some of that '90s vibe?"
This new series is the third live-action adaptation of the franchise, following the popular Angelina Jolie-starring films and the 2018 film starring Alicia Vikander. "There's room to do something really quite dangerous. And if I can do something dangerous and exciting with 'Tomb Raider,' I already have an audience of people who love Lara and hopefully will continue to," said Waller-Bridge. "And that is a very unusual position to be in. It's the old Trojan horse." However, the "Tomb Raider" series is currently on pause as the Writers Guild of America (WGA) continues to strike until a fair deal is offered by the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) and accepted by the WGA. If all goes well, the "Tomb Raider" series will be the start of a potential universe spanning series, films, and games. Pending the AMPTP's actions, of course.
While it may seem trivial to care what Phoebe Waller-Bridge has to say about the bustline of a fictional character, it's perhaps the most obvious sign that she's the perfect creative for the job.